Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN BILL: TURKISH PRESS, FRANCE CONTRACTS STOPPED SOON

ANSA Med
Jan 24 2012
Italy

Ambassadors also to be recalled, but after appeal

(ANSAmed) – ANKARA, JANUARY 24 – The Turkish press says that Ankara
is preparing to react to the French law on the Armenian genocide with
a number of retaliatory measures, including exclusion from public
contracts, appeals to international courts, a break in diplomatic
ties, and a ban on French use of air space and territorial waters
for military purposes.

The Turkish newspaper Haberturk, however, says that the measures will
only be applied if French senators reject the likely appeals to the
Constitutional Court in Paris.

In the meantime, the Posta newspaper says that Turkey is considering
excluding French firms from state and armed forces contracts, as well
limiting to an absolute minimum the economic ties between the two
countries. Miliyet lists other possible measures, suggesting appeals
to international courts, a fall in diplomatic ties to the lowest
possible level and the recall of the Turkish military official in
Paris and expulsion of his French counterpart in Ankara, as well as
a denial of the use of Turkish air space by French military aircraft
and a ban on French ships sailing in Turkish waters.

Official indications of Turkey’s reaction are expected in a speech to
be made this afternoon by the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
in front of his party’s parliamentary group. (ANSAmed).

GENOCIDE DENIAL LAW IS PASSED

The Connexion

Jan 24 2012
France

A BAN on denying that killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire
constituted genocide will be enshrined in French law.

The Senate adopted by 127 votes to 86 a proposed law already passed
by the National Assembly to punish by ~@45,000 and a year in prison
anyone who denies or “minimises in an outrageous manner” “a genocide
recognised by law”.

In fact the law only relates to the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust
denial already being offence under a previous one.

Turkey recalled its ambassador from Paris after the bill was passed
by the National Assembly last month and some official visits between
the countries were cancelled.

During the debate both Armenians and pro-Turkish demonstrators massed
outside, kept separate by gendarmes.

Only the left-wing radicals and greens opposed the law en masse,
saying it was not parliament’s role to legislate on such matters.

Green senator Esther Benbassa, who lived in Turkey as a child, said:
“This law cobbled together in a rush will not help the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in Turkey or help bring together the Armenian
and Turkish people”.

However supporters of the bill said it was not right there was a law
about the Jewish Holocaust, but not one for the Armenian Genocide
(recognised as such in France since 2001).

There are half a million French people of Armenian origin in France.

Armenians say that, starting in 1915, the Turks deliberately killed
more than a million people of their ethnicity; however Turkey argues
that both Armenian Christians and Muslim Turks died in intercommunal
violence and there was no systematic plan to eliminate Armenians.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL PASSED IN FRANCE

Sky News

Jan 24 2012
Australia

A bill making it a crime to deny the 1915 killings of Armenians was
a genocide has passed both houses of France’s parliament.

The Senate’s vote on Monday came despite Turkey’s threats to impose
new sanctions on France. It already suspended military, economic and
political ties when the lower house of French parliament passed the
bill last month.

The measure now needs to be signed by President Nicolas Sarkozy,
whose party proposed it, to become a law.

The Senate adopted the bill without any amendments, with 127 votes
in favour and 86 votes against.

The bill, which punishes denial of genocides recognised by France by
a year in prison and 45,000 euros ($A55,000) in fines, has therefore
now been adopted by parliament.

While most historians contend that the 1915 killings of Armenians as
the Ottoman Empire broke up was the 20th century’s first genocide,
Turkey vigorously denies that.

France now officially recognises two genocides: the Nazi Holocaust
of Jews during World War II and the deaths of hundreds of thousands
of Armenians in eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1917. The country
already has a law punishing Holocaust denial.

FRANCE PASSES ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL

EuroNews
Jan 24 2012
France

After a debate lasting more than seven hours, the French Senate voted
to back a controversial new law making it illegal to refer to the
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as anything other than genocide.

Anyone breaking the law could be fined or imprisoned.

With 127 votes in favour and 86 against, French President Nicolas
Sarkozy has 15 days to approve the bill.

Deputy for the UMP party and the person who proposed the bill, Valerie
Boyer, said it was a tremendous step: “It’s a very important moment,
a great moment for human rights and human dignity. I’m very glad that
parliament has adopted the law today, and I hope that this law move
forward peacefully.”

However, President for the Commission of the Senate and Socialist
Party member Jean-Pierre Sueur was less pleased with the outcome:

“We are quite sure in the commission of the law of the senate that
this text is unconstitutional. Sooner or later, we will see so. But
the question is whether this discussion has eased the pain on both
sides? Has this discussion made the history clearer? Was it beneficial
for diplomatic relations? I’m not sure and I don’t believe that this
matter is closed,” he said.

Relations between Paris and Ankara have deteriorated. Turkey sees the
move as purely political, as Sarkozy faces a presidential election in
April and May. The bill was proposed by Sarkozy’s UMP party. There
are accusations that Sarkozy is using the genocide bill to win the
votes of the large minority of ethnic Armenians living in France,
which numbers more than 500,000.

Some of those Armenians were outside the senate building in Paris,
celebrating what they see as the rightful recognition of what happened
to their countrymen under the Ottoman Turks.

ARMENIA-TURKEY ‘GENOCIDE’ ROW: THE BACKGROUND

EuroNews
Jan 24 2012
France

Whether what happened to the Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman
Empire can be called ‘genocide’ remains contentious – despite the
ruling by the French senate which now makes it an offence to deny
it was.

However, the facts of what took place between 1915-23 are
well-documented by a variety of sources – many of which had no vested
interest in the what happened.

As many as 1.5 million Christian Armenians were massacred or deported,
after trying to use the First World War as an opportunity to escape
repression from the Muslim Ottoman Turks.

The Republic of Turkey, founded after the war, refuses to recognise
the killing of Armenians as ‘genocide’. Instead it argues that both
sides suffered a large amount of casualties during a struggle against
each other.

A 44-metre high memorial near the Armenian capital Yerevan and the
nearby Armenian Genocide Museum built into the hillside commemorate
those killed by the Ottoman Turks. They receive hundreds of thousands
of visitors every year.

EXPERT: AZERBAIJAN MUST COPE WITH STATUS QUO MAINTENANCE

Panorama.am
24/01/2012

“The statement adopted in the aftermath of Sochi-hosted tripartite
meeting means status quo will maintain, and Azerbaijan has to cope
with it,” Sergey Minasyan, deputy director of “Caucasus” institute,
said in a news conference remarking on Medvedev-Sargsyan-Aliyev
tripartite meeting.

According to the expert the agreement adopted during Medvedev’s final
term in office doesn’t mean that Russia may change its position in the
future, as Russia will never voluntarily concede Minsk Group format.

“Positive outcome of the statement is that negotiations and Minsk
Group format will continue,” expert said.

Asked if Russian Foreign Ministry statement urging the sides to avoid
“maximalist manifestations” is a demand from Armenian side to give
up claims for NK status priorities, S. Minasyan said.

“That appeal doesn’t refer to the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, it
refers to the peaceful resolution of the conflict,” expert said.

NAREK GALSTYAN: OSCE MINSK GROUP THE ONLY FORMAT FOR KARABAKH TALKS

Panorama.am
24/01/2012

The tripartite meeting in Sochi once again proved that OSCE Minsk
Group is the only format for Karabakh talks, political expert Narek
Galstyan told a news conference in Yerevan, commenting upon the
tripartite meeting between the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani
Presidents held in Sochi on Monday as well as the joint statement
adopted at the meeting.

According to him, the Sochi meeting revealed that Russia has
strengthened its role in conflict settlement.

“Russia remains the main guarantor of peace and the agreements reached
between the sides. From this point of view, I think it is important
that the joint statement contains a provision on prevention and
investigation of border incidents and ceasefire violations,” said
Galstyan, adding that nevertheless we should not pin too much hope
on this agreement.

“Similar agreements had also been reached earlier, but they were
not implemented because of Azerbaijan’s provocative and inadequate
actions,” noted the expert.

TURKISH HYSTERIA IS ON ITS HEIGHT

24.01.12

As French Senate accepted the bill on criminalization of Armenian
Genocide denial, Turkish politicians and journalists reacted
hysterically to this event. They continue speaking about sanctions
by Turkey, which experts do not consider serious. Turkey demands from
France exonomically so no real pressure can take place.

“The French Parliament approved the bill late on Monday, risking more
sanctions from Turkey and complicating an already delicate relationship
with the rising power. Turkey, which sees the allegations of genocide
as a threat to its national honor, has already suspended military,
economic and political ties and briefly recalled its ambassador last
month when the lower house of parliament approved the same bill”,
Today’s Zaman writes.

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement today on
the issue. “We strongly condemn this decision, which is problematic
in every aspect and constitutes an example of irresponsibility,
and declare that we will express our reaction against it in every
platform,” the statement said.

“It is obvious that the interpretation of historical events cannot be
determined by the attitude of French politicians who see in themselves
the right to judge other nations on the basis of one-sided views and
declare a judgment on a serious allegation of crime such as genocide,
thereby ignoring the principles of international law,” the Turkish
MFA said, adding that “it is further unfortunate that the historical
and multi-dimensional relations between the Republic of Turkey and
France have been sacrificed to considerations of political agenda in
spite of all our initiatives and warnings, as well as the opinions
of prominent French institutions and jurists.”

FRENCH PARLIAMENT NOT TO APPEAL ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL TO CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL

Tert.am
24.01.12

Bernard Accoyer, President of the French National Assembly, refused
to appeal the bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide to
the Constitutional Council of France.

The issue of appealing the bill to the Constitutional Council is not
on the agenda, he told journalists.

Bernard Accoyer pointed out the need to explain to Turkish partners
that the bill is not aimed at Turkey despite the fact that they are
of the opposite opinion.

French Senate President Jean-Pierre Bel, President of France Nicolas
Sarkozy and a group of at least 60 MPs can appeal the bill to the
Constitutional Council, reports. However, the
bill was drafted by the Union for a Popular Movement led by French
president and was approved at the the Elysée palace. So the French
leader is most unlikely to refuse to sign the bill into law or appeal
it to the Constitutional Council.

As regards Jean-Pierre Bel, he voiced his support to the bill even
before the Senate vote.

TURKS DO NOT MANAGE TO SPECULATE THE ARMENIAN BILL FROM PACE CHAIR

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 24, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: The representatives of the Turkish
and Azerbaijani delegations tried to raise the issue of the bill
criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide from the PACE chair,
but they failed, member of the Armenian delegation to PACE Naira
Zohrabyan told Armenpress from Strasburg.

Turks and Azerbaijani failed, as by rotation, the chairs of the sitting
did not allow them to refer to the issue, noting that it concerns the
French Senate and is not involved in the PACE agenda. The chairs of
the sitting repeatedly asked not to distract the attention from the
OSCE agenda.

“So the Turks and Azeries did not manage to speculate the issue for
a regular time and to put into circulation,” said Naira Zohrabyan.